The Hilton Vancouver, Washington likes being a ground breaker. It was the first Hilton hotel to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, one of the first hotels in the entire country to do so, and just announced that it has also obtained Green Seal certification. While LEED certification recognized the hotel’s efforts in areas such as sustainable site development, building materials selection, indoor environmental quality, water savings and energy efficiency, it did not provide a roadmap for improving ongoing operations in areas such as waste management, cleaning and maintenance, and purchasing.
After it first announced its LEED certification in early 2007, the property, with the help of its public relations representatives, received the equivalent of more than $3 million in media coverage. Not wanting to coast on those accolades, the hotel, under the leadership of general manager Gerry Link, decided to pursue Green Seal approval. “LEED primarily referred to how the hotel was built,” Link says. “We realized we had to then walk the talk and operate in a green manner.”
Green Seal is just one of a number of operations-oriented certification programs the hotel’s management team could have selected (including the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Existing Buildings: O&M). Link says a Green Seal representative initially performed an on-site audit. Once areas in need of improvement were identified, hotel staff got to work. More than a year after starting the process, and after putting together a 57-page document detailing its Environmental Compliance Program, the hotel went through a second on-site audit before receiving Green Seal approval.
Why did it take more than a year to obtain the Green Seal honor? Link says that because the hotel was already a LEED property, it had many of the Green Seal-required programs in place. However, there was still a lot of work to do. A composting program, for example, was established and a cardboard baler was purchased. Hundreds of hours were spent compiling the information for the Environmental Compliance Program document. A Green Energy Management (GEM) team was charged with making sure energy was conserved where possible, and sustainability was preached until it became part of the work culture. It took time to develop that mindset. Having every employee understand sustainability is like an insurance policy; if a manager should leave the property for other pursuits, the culture will not go, too.
When asked what advice he would give to hotel owners thinking about pursuing Green Seal and other programs like it, Link said it is important to first work on the small projects that are easy to complete and to not think so large that the idea becomes overwhelming.
“Sustainability is the way of the future,” Link says. “All hotels need to be adjusting to that.”
GLN Welcomes ConservCo, East Teak as Directory Partners
Green Lodging News welcomes ConservCo Water Conservation Products and East Teak Fine Hardwoods as Green Product & Service Directory partners. ConservCo provides water conservation auditing, consulting, planning, and implementation services. By utilizing its many water-conserving products, ConservCo can reduce water waste, lower energy and sewer expenses, and help hoteliers earn two water efficiency points toward LEED certification. Call (775) 747-3333, e-mail info@conservco.us, or go to www.conservco.us/hotel.htm.
East Teak is now approved to stock Forest Stewardship Council certified hardwoods; including FSC 100 percent recycled teak lumber and FSC reclaimed rosewood columns. East Teak’s FSC Recycled Teak is 100 percent reclaimed from post-consumer sources such as old structures and is carefully recovered by hand, thereby avoiding the need to fell living teak trees. East Teak FSC Recycled Teak guarantees buyers both a legal and environmentally sustainable supply chain and also ensures compliance with government procurement regulations. For additional information, call (800) 338-5636, e-mail wayne@eastteak.com, or go to www.certifiedteak.com.
$1 million Rio Tinto Alcan Prize for Sustainability Open for Entries
Rio Tinto Alcan and the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) announced that a $1 million Rio Tinto Alcan Prize for Sustainability 2008 is now open for entries. Information on eligibility criteria and how to enter are available at www.alcanprizeforsustainability.com. The closing date for receipt of entries is midnight, September 12, 2008.
The Rio Tinto Alcan Prize is open to all not-for-profit, non-governmental, and civil society organizations based anywhere in the world that are working to advance the goals of economic, environmental, and social sustainability. The Prize was created to recognize the not-for-profit sector for its contributions to global sustainability both in the community and more widely by influencing policy.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
